Tramon Mark’s grit-filled effort vs. Purdue defines March Madness

Sean Miller and Texas basketball shouldn't be hanging their heads right now, as they gave everything they had in this year's tournament. They were able to make it all the way to the Sweet 16, losing by only two points to one of the top teams in all of college basketball tonight.

There were plenty of people who didn't even think the Longhorns would make it past North Carolina State in the play-in game, let alone defeating teams like BYU and Gonzaga over the past few weeks.

One of the main reasons why Texas was so successful throughout March Madness can be attributed to Tramon Mark and his uncanny ability to hit clutch shot after clutch shot in big moments this month.

He's been able to carry the offense when Dailyn Swain and Matas Vokietaitis have been struggling, and tonight was a perfect example. Swain was great but Vokietaitis really underwhelmed against the Boilermakers on the offensive side of the court.

Mark led the team in scoring tonight with 29 points, shooting 73% (11/15) from the field, and 71.4% (5/7) from three-point range. His consistent ability to perform when his team needed him the most will be remembered for a long time by Longhorns fans all around the world.

The craziest part about his performance tonight is that he suffered what seemed to be a pretty bad ankle injury early on in the second half. A Purdue defender fouled Mark while he was taking a three-point shot, which led to the Texas guard coming down at an awkward angle.

He sat out for a minute or so but then came back in, hitting a three-pointer almost immediately after checking into the game. There was no way that he was going to end his collegiate career sitting on the bench, and I'm not sure anything could've stopped him from getting back in there and fighting for his team.

Not many players could've done what Tramon Mark did tonight, and his impact won't be forgotten anytime soon.